getting stuck with you sucks (but maybe i like it just a little bit)
by Faeyy
Summary: "You have got to be fucking kidding me." "Nice to see you too, Sam." Root said. There was a bruise on her cheekbone and she had a split lip, and for a second Shaw felt a sliver of worry rush through her, before it disappeared and made place for annoyance. or, how Shaw ended up in a holding cell with Root and why that is a very bad idea.


As soon as Shaw noticed the golden glimmer on the hip of the man currently pointing a gun at their most recent number, she knew she was screwed. The man was a cop, the badge on his belt told her as much. Shooting him in the kneecaps was out of the question, but letting him take their number was an even worse plan.

So instead, she lifted the gun up in the air and fired three shots. Kate, the woman she had been chasing for a good part of the morning, yelped and dropped to her knees, shielding her head with her arms. The cop immediately turned around and pointed his gun at her now.

"Drop your weapon!" He told her as he slowly inched closer.

Shaw grinned and threw her gun on the ground, making sure the safety was on, she didn't want to accidentally shoot someone. For Finch's sake, of course.

She let herself be cuffed and pushed into the back of the police car.

" _Miss Shaw, are you alright? I heard gunfire."_

"Relax Finch, I didn't shoot anyone." She kept her voice low enough so the man in the front seat wouldn't hear her.

"I ran into some trouble though, had to let Kate go."

" _I'll send John to retrieve her, will you be safe?"_

"Don't worry about me, I've handled worse."

She managed to nudge the earpiece out of her ear using her shoulder and crushed it with her foot.

She was on her own now, just how she liked it.

/

"It's your lucky day," the chubby police man told her when they arrived at the police station, a weird smile on his face, "we are a little overcrowded today, so you will be sharing a cell with someone."

Shaw wanted to punch a wall, or better, hit someone on the nose.

She had spent more nights in a holding cell than she cared to admit, but the amount of noise that reached her ears as soon as the man opened the door leading to the small hallway where the cells were, still came as a surprise. People talking, yelling, crying, moving around, and even one lonely soul was singing some sort of song.

They walked past the first cell, two men ogling her from behind the steel bars. One of them whistled and winked at her suggestively. She looked away, thinking it wouldn't be a good thing if she already bashed someone's head in. she only just got here.

"Believe me, your cellmate won't be this bad." he told her, as if she needed to be comforted. "She hasn't said a word since she got here."

She didn't reply, but she felt the annoyance creep in. She suddenly regretted her decision to be arrested to save their numbers ass. Now she was about to be locked up for God knows how long with some stranger who was probably crazy. _Great_ , she thought bitterly.

He stopped walking, and because of the strong hold he had on her upper arm, she too was forced to a sudden stop. He unlocked the barred door and pushed her, somewhat roughly, inside. He released her wrists from their restraints without a word and locked the door behind her. She shook her hands lightly, feeling a slight soreness from where the handcuffs had been.

It wasn't until she heard her someone call her name that she stiffened and lifted her head up to look at the other end of the cell.

Perched on the single bed mounted to the wall was Root, grinningalmost sweetly.

"You have got to be fucking kidding me."

"Nice to see you too, Sam." Root said, sounding way too chipper for someone who was sitting in a holding cell. There was a bruise on her cheekbone and she had a split lip, and for a second Shaw felt a sliver of worry rush through her, before it disappeared and made place for annoyance.

"Why are you even here? Let me guess, that little elf on your shoulder whispered in your ear and told you."

"She needed me here," Root smiled innocently, "She never told me you'd be here too, or I would have dressed better." She winked and Shaw rolled her eyes.

She looked everywhere besides her cellmate, instead looking around the small cell. Looking for possible escape routes she knew wouldn't be there. The close proximity was intoxicating, but more than that, it bothered Shaw to no end. She liked, no, _needed_ personal space, and in this small boxthat was nearly impossible.

Root had positioned herself on the small cot, knees tucked up towards her chest and arms wrapped around her legs. Her hair was dishevelled, not its usual flawless self, and her clothes were wrinkled. Her eyes had an almost tired, haunted look in them, but just when Shaw was about to make a comment about it, Root blinked and it was gone.

Deciding it was smarter to just keep her mouth shut anyway, she turned away and dropped to the ground, letting her head fall backwards against the cold wall with a dull thud, not caring about the floor that had undoubtedly not seen a mop in weeks.

Her feet ached from chasing the number throughout the city all day, and the bed was probably a lot more comfortable than the concrete floor, but that would mean she had to sit next to Root, and no way in hell would she voluntarily sit next to her. So she folded her arms over her chest and focused her eyes on a spot on the ceiling.

For a while neither said anything, Root's head was tilted sideways like she always did when the Machine was chattering in her ear. She fumbled with the hem of her blouse while she listened. Shaw noticed she looked uncomfortable, but didn't mention it. She just kept her lips pressed tightly together and waited.

She listened to the ticking of the clock on the wall that she could not see, and tried to tune out all the other noises around her. Trying hard to focus solely on the soft ticking of the clock she sat still as minutes turned into hours. All the while neither Root or she attempted to make conversation. Which was odd, Shaw thought. Never once had Root been as quiet as she was now, and on any normal day Shaw would give up her dinner if it meant that Root would shut up. But now, she was almost looking forward to the moment Root would open her mouth.

But Root didn't, not even when the night guard looked around the corner and asked something about why they were here. Normally, Root would throw some weirdly flirty remark his way, but now she just let out a soft grunt and returned to her previous silent pondering.

Finally, Shaw couldn't take the silence anymore, so she spoke.

"So, has She told you why you're here yet?"

If the sudden break of the silence startled Root, she wasn't showing it.

"No, not yet. But I'm sure she will soon."

"You sure? How long were you even in here before I showed up?"

"A while." was all Root said.

"Hmm."

And they returned to their own quiet bubbles.

/

Even though Root had been quiet for hours, it wasn't long after their short conversation that she found something amusing enough to focus all her attention on. And that thing, unfortunately for Shaw, was her rumbling stomach.

In her defence, she hadn't eaten since that morning. And that was highly unusual for Shaw. She could kill for a good burger right about now. Just as her mouth started to water, Root started talking.

"Hey sweetie," she paused, "if you want something to eat, you just have to ask."

"Like you could do anything about that."

"Well, I can think of one thing for you to eat." Root replied, innuendo strong, "but I happen to have some real food for you as well." She dangled it in front of her.

Shaw, ignoring the first part of that sentence, zeroed in on the food that hung in the air a few feet from her. It was a simple candy bar, but the sight of it was enough to make Shaw stand up and move forwards.

Root got up from her sitting position and took one step forwards.

"Ever since that incident in the library, I never go anywhere without food." Root grinned.

Shaw rolled her eyes, not really wanting to give Root a reason to talk about that time in the library. The whole ordeal had been embarrassing enough without the obvious joy Root seemed to get from reminding her of it as often as possible. She placed her hands on her hips and looked up at the taller woman.

"Where did you even keep that so no one would- you know what, I don't even want to know, just give me the food."

"Patience Sameen, If I didn't know you better I would be worried you lost all your manners."

Shaw let out an annoyed grunt and reached for the candy bar in Root's hand. It was pulled back at the last second, and Shaw's eyes shot up to Root's.

"Root," she warned, "give that to me."

"Is saying please too much to ask?" There was an amused glint in the woman's eyes.

She ignored Root's last words and reached out again. Root in turn held the candy bar above her head, knowing it would be too high for Shaw to reach.

"Root, for God's sake." Shaw hissed.

"Just say please, Sameen." She smiled innocently. Shaw wanted to punch her.

"No."

"Okay."

Root took a step back and lowered the candy bar in question between her breasts and tucked it in neatly, all the while grinning widely. She made sure the top of it was still visible.

Shaw almost let her eyes linger down, but she fought to keep her eyes trained on Root's, anger radiating off her in waves.

"Whatever." She turned around and walked back to the wall. It were only three, not even big, steps, but with Root's eyes burning on the back of her neck it felt like miles. Frustrated she sat down and ignored Root's amused glances towards her. Her stomach rumbled, but she ignored that too. She clenched her fists and pressed them to her stomach.

She was seething, and most of all, hungry. But she wasn't going to give in.

Not yet.

/

She held out for another hour before the gnawing feeling in her stomach became too much to ignore. She _had_ to get that candy bar, no matter what. Even though the thought of prying it out of Root's cleavage wasn't at all appealing, she realised it was either that, or saying please. The latter seemed like the worst choice even in comparison to her other option.

Without making a sound, she got to her feet and within a second, she was in front of Root, head tilted upwards so she could look the taller woman in the eyes. Her gaze was everything but friendly.

"Something bothering you, sweetie?"

"Give me the food, Root." she demanded.

"You know what to do, Sameen."

"Right."

Shaw took a step forwards, she was now so close to Root they were almost chest to chest. Root didn't back away, even leaned forward the slightest bit. Shaw took another step closer, this time Root did move away, letting her back collide with the wall softly.

Shaw placed both hands on the wall on either side of Root's head, making it impossible for her to escape her gaze.

"This is the last time I'm going to ask you nicely, Give. Me. The. Food."

"No need to behave like this, Sam, it's right here." Root looked downwards into her own cleavage and then looked back up at Shaw, glint in her eyes.

"No way in hell." Shaw shot back.

"Its your choice, sweetie."

Shaw groaned and moved even closer, now only inches away from Root's face here eyes shot daggers and her lips were pressed tightly together, all signs for Root that she was not just angry, she was furious.

She weighed her options, pondering them silently. Neither of them moved or spoke for a few long moments, until Root broke the tensed silence.

"Okay then."

She managed to catch Shaw off guard, and she took that change to switch their positions. With her hands around Shaw's upper arms with a firm grip, she turned her body and pressed Shaw against the wall with a thump. Shaw let out a huff of air out of surprise and Root took that moment to press her lips on Shaw's. Immediately she pressed her thigh between Shaw's legs and used one of her hands to keep Shaw's chin positioned where it was.

For a second nothing happened, it was like both were frozen in time. Suddenly, Shaw relaxed the slightest bit and she lifted her hands to tangle them in Root's hair. She pressed her body impossibly closer to the woman she was kissing and closed her eyes.

Root kissed her back with passion, letting her arms rest on Shaw's hips. She was just about to bite Shaw's lip when Shaw tensed up, muscles coiling underneath her skin and eyes shooting open. With all her strength she pushed Root away from her, and watched as the woman stumbled backwards until her back collided with the opposite wall.

"What the fuck, Root." Shaw snarled between heavy breaths.

Root didn't say anything, but her eyes showed just a flicker of hurt before she averted them and reached towards the candy bar. She pulled it out and threw it towards Shaw.

"I figured you weren't going to say please or get it yourself, so I made the decision for you." She uttered. Hair even more dishevelled than before, Root looked like a kicked puppy. The look didn't suit her, Shaw thought.

"Thanks."

"No problem." Root said.

The longer Shaw kept her eyes trained on Root, the more down the woman seemed to look. This hadn't been the first time Root had kissed her, but it certainly had been the first time Shaw made any sign of appreciating it and acted upon her instincts. Shaw didn't feel bad, she didn't do feelings, but her insides clenched uncomfortably when she looked at Root looking almost sad.

 _Fuck it._

She dropped the candy bar and moved the two steps forwards, once again invading Root's personal space. Without a word she kissed Root again. Moving her lips roughly against Root's, she ignored the sudden intake of breath on Root's end. Shaw could hear her own heartbeat in her ears, alongside with Root's content sigh.

Not wanting to over do it, Shaw gave her a few more seconds before moving away. With her lips still hovering over Root's, she whispered, "Not a word," before removing herself from Root's body completely.

She walked back to the other wall and picked up the candy bar. She tore it open in one fluid movement and took a bite. She held back the moan that crept up in her throat, She wouldn't give Root the satisfaction of hearing that. Within seconds the devoured the much needed food and stuffed the now empty wrapper in her jeans pocket. All the time not looking at the woman on the other side of the cell.

When she did make the mistake of looking up, she caught Root's eyes fixed on her face. Root looked at her with her 'I adore you' eyes and Shaw felt a tingle deep down in her stomach. _I'm still hungry, that's all that is,_ she thought to herself, not finding it very convincing.

For a few minutes there hung a silence between them. As much as was possible in a place with at least twenty other people around you. Root's eyes never looked away from Shaw's face and it became more annoying every passing second. Just when Shaw was about to make a comment about it, Root spoke.

"You have a bit of lipstick on you," Root mentioned, "right there." She smirked, enjoying this way more than she should.

"Fuck you, Root."

"You wish."

Shaw rubbed furiously around her lips with her hands.

"Let me help." Root offered.

"No way," Shaw sneered, "you stay away from me."

Root moved closer anyway. She let her thumb roam over Shaw's upper lip, a little longer than absolutely necessary.

"There, all gone."

Shaw's eyes warned her, but Root moved even closer. She leaned in and brushed her cheek past Shaw's so softly she almost missed it. Almost.

"We wouldn't want anyone to think we did anything _indecent_ in here, now would we?" was whispered in Shaw's ear.

A shiver went down her spine, and she had to fight every single instinct she had not to lean back, out of Root's reach. She huffed and ducked her head, moving away from Root's scalding hot cheek and murmured words.

Root chuckled and moved back to the cot, sitting down and focusing her attention on the wall instead of Shaw. Even though Root wasn't looking at her anymore, Shaw could still feel the burning sensation of eyes on her skin. Checking again, she found Root smiling. Not at her though, she had her eyes glazed over and she looked, almost, happy.

 _Weirdo_ , Shaw thought. But she did look a lot better than when Shaw came into this cell hours earlier. And she would rather have Root annoying and somewhat happy, than Root being all timid and sad.

Not that she cared of course. Shaw doesn't care about anyone, let alone care about Root.

She feels her own lips curl into a smile, and for a second she gives into the feeling. Then she regains her control and brings her face back to its neutral expression.

They don't speak or even acknowledge each others presence for the rest of the time. And it isn't until another guard comes to them with the news that someone bailed them out that they move again.

/

She heard Bear and Finch before she could see them. The soft patting of Bear's paws on the floor made her lift her head. As soon as his face came into view, she let her lips form into the tiniest of smiles.

"Hello miss Shaw, miss Groves." Finch said, looking faintly uncomfortable.

"Hi Harry," Root smiled widely, "so nice of you to bail us out. Even though I wouldn't have minded a few more hours in there. After all, it was pretty cosy, wasn't it, Sameen?"

Shaw rolled her eyes for the umpteenth time that day, and Harold made another sound that made his wish to be anywhere but here very clear. Shaw crouched down and scratched Bear behind his ears. He made a whiny sound and Shaw snickered softly. She could always count on Bear to give her something to do when Root was being her annoying self.

She got up and looked at Finch, "Did Kate survive?"

"Yes she did. John managed to eliminate the threat and she made it out before even knowing someone had attempted to end her life."

"Good," Not that she cared, but it had been her mission and it would have sucked if her number ended up dead even after she somewhat risked her own life for her.

Root opened her mouth to say something, but Shaw interrupted her before she could actually form the words. "Lets get out of here. I'm hungry."

"Sounds like a good idea, miss Shaw. I'm sure John won't mind picking up some food on his way back to the subway." Finch said as he limped forwards to the door.

Shaw followed suit, but Root's hand got a hold of her wrist and she pulled her backwards with such force Shaw almost collided with Root's chest. Root bend down and let her face rest besides Shaw's ear.

"Next time I will make sure to bring something more nutritious with me, wouldn't want you to leave feeling hungry" She winked.

"There won't ever be a _next time._ " Shaw hissed back. "Now let go of me."

She pulled her arm back and walked away.

"You can never be sure, Sameen."

Shaw gave her the finger and joined Finch and Bear. Root smiled and followed them as well, never once letting her smile falter.


End file.
